


Confidence in Insecurity

by Surka



Series: Virginity is a Social Construct [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aromantic Yuri Plisetsky, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon, Social Media, Unreliable Narrator, Virginity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28273335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Surka/pseuds/Surka
Summary: Yuri has a plan, but first he has to get through the European Championships. Otabek Altin is a crucial part of this plan, but he doesn’t really understand why Yuri needs the plan in the first place. It’ll be fine as long as he just goes along with it, right?
Relationships: Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Series: Virginity is a Social Construct [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039769
Comments: 17
Kudos: 24
Collections: Otayuriadvent2020





	Confidence in Insecurity

**Author's Note:**

> This is a slightly longer blurb written for the Otayuri Advent 2020. This is the second part of... three. I think. Pretty sure. I don’t have a specific advent date deadline, but I don’t want to leave you hanging too long.
> 
> Thank you Venom (Venom_For_Free) and Matt (To_Matt_Oh) for your last minute beta work! 
> 
> Medina Altin was originally created by Venom and she debuted in Oh My God! They Were Husbands! which can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23415484/chapters/56119045

“I can lose my hard earned freedom

If my fear defines my world”

-One Girl Revolution by Superchick

“Better to be hated

Than loved loved loved for what your not”

-I Am Not a Robot by Marina

  
  


Otabek clicked the end of the video chat before he allowed his teeth to clench and his brow to furrow. One word ricocheted through his mind on repeat:  _ Meaningless _ . He mechanically put the laptop away and got ready for bed, barely aware of his sister greeting him as she got home from a late night shift, automatically flipping the light switch off even as she was waiting to get past him into the bathroom. 

His room was dark and he was in his bed—those facts seemed meaningless when his stomach swooped with vertigo as if he was on a plane about to lift off. He tried to think about what he knew about Yuri through their experiences in Barcelona and their video chats but each attempt was aborted as the word  _ meaningless _ interrupted and derailed his memories.

The alarm blasted apart his recollection of planning out Welcome to the Madness. Otabek blinked but his alarm didn’t disappear until he turned it off—and it was set for the correct time. So… it was morning. The sun was still below the horizon, but that part at least was normal. He looked down, but he couldn’t remember how his blankets were oriented last night so he had no idea if they were different now. Had he slept? 

His mind was less scattered at least; he could have complete thoughts instead of having them shattered by… that word. Why had Yuri perked up and spoke with more determination and energy after asking for… that?

That question bounced between his ears like water in a clogged pipe as Otabek fumbled his way through breakfast and training. He really couldn’t remember much of practice, but the bruises on his hips, ass, thighs, and shoulders told him that it hadn’t gone well.

***

“Stop being DISGUSTING on the ice!”

“I wasn’t!” 

Yuri had already berated Georgi for moaning and swooning about his Valentine’s Day for his new girlfriend. It was only early January! Ridiculous! Now they were on the ice and the older idiot  _ still _ couldn’t stop mooning over his precious Elizaveta. 

“I can tell from your  _ spins _ that you’re being a complete and utter  _ sap _ !”

“Really? Well indeed I was wondering if Vetanka would prefer to have our romantic dinner picnic-style or at home after our hike. Splendid observation, Yura!”

“Why are you going hiking?! There will be at least a meter of snow! It’s freezing!”

“Ah, but my lovely Vetanka delights in the outdoors! Going to see the stars away from the city lights should be so romantic! Eeek!”

Georgi twizzled away from where Yuri had started spinning with his free leg out straight, forming a circle of sharpened steel. Hot on the heels of Yakov’s outraged shouting, Victor glided smoothly into an orbit around Yuri.

“That’s not nice, Yurio! But good eye for catching the way Georgi was emoting! Has skating Agape improved your emotional sensitivity?”

“Fuck OFF, old man!”

Yuri transitioned out of the spin and chased Victor across the rink. Given his taunts and bright laughter, Victor was more than happy to turn this into an impromptu game of tag. They hadn’t played their version of tag, where the newly tagged person had to copy a complicated step sequence or set of jumps before starting the chase, since before Victor had vanished to Japan last year. Probably over a year. Yuri had tried with Mila and Georgi once or twice, but Georgi never put up much of a fight and Mila always turned it into doing lifts, which completely defeated the point.

He suddenly had to dodge when the Katsudon swooped past so close that he almost knocked Yuri off balance. Yuri had just copied Victor’s Ina Bauer flawlessly (and better) so he darted after the Japanese skater. This new challenger was going DOWN!

***

Otabek gently bounced his head on the tile wall behind him. The rest of his body ached so much that he didn’t want to jostle anything too much, but he also couldn’t bring himself to settle down completely. He ignored his little sister sitting nearby on the toilet; she had helped him fill the tub with ice, which was nice of her, but then she hadn’t left. So he had put on swimming briefs before gingerly climbing in and he didn’t turn on his music like he otherwise would, but that’s the only accommodation he made for her obvious desire to talk.

“Are you okay, Beka? You’ve been acting weird since last night.”

He grunted and considered challenging how Medina knew that, given he hadn’t seen her since dinner the previous night. Before Yura had said… what he said. But for all he knew, his older sister Inkar or his mother saw him afterward or his father had seen him this morning before he left for training—he couldn’t consciously remember if he had seen any of them or not. So he just shrugged.

“You haven’t needed an ice bath like this since the season started. You told me it was because by now you’re focusing on the jumps you know that you can do and you’re pushing other parts of your training and routines because you didn’t want to hurt yourself. So where did that go,  _ Beks? _ ”

“...I hate it when you call me that.”

“But that’s the best part that came out of you rooming with Jumping Beans.”

“...I’ve been distracted.”

Medina nodded approvingly, “With what?”

Otabek opened his mouth a few times, but he wasn’t sure where to start.

“Does it have anything to do with a Russian skater with green eyes? He made a few posts on Instagram today.”

“What!? Really? He’s turned his social media back on?”

He could tell that Medina was watching him look at where his phone rested nearby and how he pointedly didn’t pick it up. 

“Yup. Sounds like whatever you two talked about after dinner last night fixed something in his head and broke something in yours.”

“Well put.”

“So what did he say?”

“He… um. He called me meaningless.”

“ _ What!?” _

Otabek startled at how quickly Medina snatched up her phone like a vengeful angel. He shouted at her to stop, sloshing some icy water onto the floor. To add to the chaos of the moment, the timer on his phone went off, announcing that he needed to get out of the ice bath. 

Medina held both phones out of the way of any splashes while Otabek let the water drain out. He turned on the hot water tap and scooped out the ice. Medina waited until he had settled back in the tub, the water slowly rising around him. 

“Context, Beka, please. Did he dump you?”

“No, nothing like that. I think.”

“You  _ think? _ Beka, what did he  _ say _ .”

He leaned forward and turned off the tap and slouched into the steamy heat. How exactly had that conversation gone?

“Victor sent me a message because he and Katsuki were concerned about Yura. So I brought it up during our video chat. He didn’t want to talk about it. He confirmed that I’m still planning to visit him after Worlds and he said that he wanted to have meaningless sex when I’m there.”

Medina was quiet while she mulled that over. Otabek just stared up at the ceiling. The silence wasn’t awkward, despite the topic. Talking with Medina, or just existing in the same room with Medina, was one of his favorite things about being back in Almaty with his family. 

“With you?”

“What?”

“He wants to have this  _ meaningless _ sex with  _ you? _ ”

“What’s that supposed to mean, brat?”

“I’m the same age as the boy you’re planning to have sex with, Beks, so don’t ‘ _ brat’ _ me.”

Otabek sunk in the tub until even his eyes were submerged, his knees popping out of the water. He  _ really _ didn’t want to think about his sister being sexually active. Horny fantasies aside, he struggled to think of himself as sexually active, even with Yuri. They’d only become friends in Barcelona about a month ago and they started flirting a few days later when Yura wanted to come up with a new last minute Exhibition skate. They had kept flirting over video chat, but nothing too serious. Neither of them had used the word boyfriend, that he knew of.

When he finally re-emerged to breathe, Medina had her arms crossed and her brows furrowed, “Refusing to think about this is just going to lead to more bruises at training tomorrow.”

He was strongly tempted to snap back a ‘ _ what do you know’ _ at her, but she was right. So he muttered some of the Spanish phrases that Leo taught him before acknowledging her again, “What was your question?”

“When Yuri said that he wants meaningless sex, he specifically said that he wanted it with you and nobody else?”

“Oh. Yes.”

“Okay. So you being part of the equation is still important to him. By definition, I think that means you have meaning for him.”

He shrugged.

“Unless he’s already having  _ meaningless sex _ with other people in St. Petersburg and he wants to specifically have  _ meaningless sex _ , but even then the fact that he wants it specifically with you gives it a little more meaning, right?”

“Oh, um… I don’t think he’s having sex with other people. He said he wanted me to pop his cherry.”

“Cherries? You’ll be taking the seeds out of cherries during sex?”

“No no no… that’s… that’s a phrase that just means taking virginity.”

“So you’ll be popping each other’s cherries?”

“ _ Miiiiiina!” _

“You are so red!!! You’re starting to clash with your bruises, you know. Unless they keep getting darker. Black goes with anything, right?”

Soaking in hot water was hardly restful when his sister kept embarrassing him, so Otabek leaned forward to pull the plug. 

“Does ‘meaningless sex’ mean something else in English? Like deseeding cherries?”

“I don’t think so.”

Otabek dried himself off with his towel while Medina typed on her phone. She looked up a moment later, “Doesn’t look like it. There isn’t anything special on Urban Dictionary. Although they did say that meaningless sex involves not knowing who you’re having sex with.”

“So he knows me and he wants to lose his virginity.”

“At least you know you’re not meaningless.”

Otabek nodded, but mostly just to end the conversation. He wasn’t sure of that at all.

***

Yuri skipped to the next track impatiently; he didn’t want to do Welcome to the Madness without Otabek, so he was looking for a new song for his Euros exhibition. He loved the feeling of choreographing for himself, but he also wanted something… a little different from what he did before. Not as blatantly sexual, but still defiant. And definitely NOT something pretty and dainty and classical. 

Once the song got past the intro, he leaned back and stared at the icon for his chat app. A quick glare around the rink cafeteria confirmed that he had the space to himself. He pulled open the chat window and paused again. This was probably going to bite him in the ass but...

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< Hey asshole

Old Pervert

>> Oh? Are you interested in my sublime derrière? 😉😘🍆💦

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< fuck no! Gross!

Old Pervert

>> Be careful how you grab my attention, then, mon petit chat 😈😏

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< why would

<< EW

<< NO!🤬🤬🤬

Old Pervert

>> You came to me, kitten

>> How can I be of service to the GPF Gold Medalist?

Supreme Ice Tiger

>> fine. 

>> how do you have gay

***

Hag

>> Hey Yuri! I heard you had fun at the rink today! I’m sad you didn’t wait for me!

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< s ex?

Yuri clenched his teeth around a shriek. Mila’s text message had interrupted his rapidfire thumbs and now he had sent two mangled messages in the *worst* possible way!

Hag

>> Yuri?

>> That’s so forward of you!

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< NO! FUCK1 NO!!11!!@ EW!!

***

Old Pervert

>> Gay sandwiches?

>> Gay shopping sprees?

>> Gay brunches?🍆🍑🍆🍑🍆🍑

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< fuck. Sex

<< how do you have gay sex

Old Pervert

>> I’m flattered that you came to me. 

>> And delighted that you didn’t try to learn everything from porn

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< i know what porn looks like. I know that porn doesn’t show everthing

<< don’t tell Victor. Or other Yuri

Old Pervert

>> I suppose this is rather delicate for you, kitten. Embarrassed?

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< victor’s LOUD. Don’t need him shouting my business all over Piter

Old Pervert

>> And you trust my discretion?

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< yes. Or I’ll cut you with my knife boots at Euros 😡

Old Pervert

>> I would prefer that both of us remain whole and hale so we can give each other a good challenge on the ice

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< whatever

<< so?

Old Pervert

>> I know some excellent guides in French. Let me look for an English translation. Unless you would prefer a demonstration? 🍆

Supreme Ice Tiger

<< NO!

<< !!!!!!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

***

Tinny laughter and Russian curses sang from Otabek’s phone. Both the audio from the video and Otabek’s smile seemed to come from a long distance away, like echoes off of Pik Talgar. He flicked back to Yuuri’s email.

_ Hello Otabek, _

_ Thank you so much for whatever you said to Yurio. His spirit is much brighter today. I attached a video to show how much. I hope your training goes well. I look forward to seeing you at Four Continents. _

_ Katsuki Yuuri _

What  _ had _ he said that could have cheered Yuri up so much? He only agreed to have sex when he came to visit after Worlds. Otabek realized he was about to chase the thought rabbit about whether Yuri had invited him over as a boyfriend or as a random fuck buddy and he shut that down fast. That rabbit didn’t need to get caught. The only labels between them were friends. Best friends. Best friends who openly flirted. Best friends who had agreed to have sex. 

He shook his head to try to dislodge those thoughts and restarted the video again. Yuri had just tricked Victor into aborting the step sequence he was supposed to be copying because it took him too close to the boards and his cackling was so joyful. 

Medina popped her head around Otabek’s open bedroom door. “How much time do you have left before your video chat with your Cherry Popping Daddy?”

Otabek spluttered and he couldn’t decide between slamming his bedroom door or throwing a pillow at her so his hands compromised by losing his grip on his phone and he bobbled it until it fell to his carpet a full meter away.

“ _ Mina! _ What the  _ fuck!? _ ” He hissed. Otabek snatched his phone off the floor and looked past her into the hallway to make sure neither of their parents had heard. He herded his giggling brazen sister into his room.

“Ha ha your face! I’m so glad I recorded that on my phone. That was  _ priceless! _ I tried looking up that phrase from earlier. I found a band called the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and they’re pretty good! It’s swing or something.”

Otabek gripped the back of his neck and stretched his clenched jaw toward the ceiling, praying for the strength to not throttle her. 

“Oooh what’s this?” Otabek looked down to see Medina holding both phones, her eyes focused on his screen. He could hear Victor and Yuri mocking each other; their tiny voices were indistinct but Otabek had watched the video enough times to know exactly what they were saying and who was  _ it  _ in their challenging game of tag. 

“Katsuki sent that to me. It’s from today.”

“Wow! Your boyfriend looks like he’s having so much fun! I guess he’s feeling better!”

Maybe he should point out that neither of them had actually used that label yet… but Otabek bit his tongue on the correction and part of him hoped that it didn’t need correcting. That the label was actually correct. 

The video ended and Medina handed back his phone with a sly look on her face, “He must  _ really _ be looking forward to sleeping with you.”

“That’s it! Mina, out!”

She skipped over to the door but of course she needed to have the last word. “Don’t forget to actually  _ talk _ to him about this, Beka!”

Otabek stared at his closed bedroom door and flopped back onto his bed. Ow… his laptop had been hiding under a blanket and he landed right on it. He checked the time on his phone and looked at the still image preview of the video. Yuri’s lively face was not quite centered, but his eyes were squished above smiling cheeks. No… he wouldn’t bring up any uncomfortable topics tonight. Otabek wanted Yuri to laugh and smile so freely as much as possible.

***

Yuri hooked his phone up to the studio’s audio system, started up his chosen Exhibition song and set it on repeat. 

_ So let me thank you for your time, _

_ And try not to waste anymore of mine _

He stretched first, despite still feeling fairly loose after a full day’s practice. The lyrics rolled over him. The repetition of the childish taunt “ _ Who died and made you king _ ” appealed to the pettiness he felt about the obnoxious commenters who felt entitled to his body and his sexuality. Their bickering was still contaminating every single one of his posts, so he muted his notifications. He had posted a selfie this morning, but he didn’t stick around to see what debates sprouted. 

_ Who cares if you disagree? _

_ You are not me _

Despite trying to avoid it, he had accidentally read several dozen comments detailing what he  _ deserved  _ for his first time having sex—the type of person, the clothes, the type of bed, which hotel chain, what fucking  _ flowers _ ?! Who the fuck wanted flowers before getting their dick wet? Even some of the guides Christophe sent him included things that could be used to “set the mood.” Just being near Otabek, hearing his voice, remembering the feel of his skin, Otabek’s teeth scraping his hand as they pulled off his glove… Yuri didn’t see how  _ flowers _ could possibly improve  _ that _ .

_ Waiting for someone to tell me it's my turn to decide _

_ Who cares if you disagree? _

He moved into a series of spins before testing out a step sequence to go with the next verse. Even if he couldn’t reach through each comment with capitalized vitriol to shake his fans until they understood to the depths of their tumbled colons that his virginity was none of their fucking business, he still wanted to shout his defiance somehow.

_ So many things I'd say if only I were able _

_ But I just keep quiet and count the cars that pass by _

The only people who mattered at all here were himself and Otabek. Okay, Deda’s opinion mattered too, but that was more of a guideline. Deda had been letting Yuri make his own decisions, assisted by Yakov, for over five years. Not that Yuri particularly wanted to ask sex advice from either of them. Luckily, Christophe had been analytical with his answers and recommended articles once he got past the initial teasing. Fucking Mila had to make it awkward at first, but after that things went quickly.

_ But you expect me to jump up on board with you _

_ And ride off into your delusional sunset _

_ I'm not the one who's lost with no direction _

That step sequence felt good. Yuri tapped out the beats of the song until it restarted and that section came close again. The step sequence still fit, although it was still rudimentary so he muted the music to focus on those movements over and over, refining here and there. Once he felt the repetition settle into his bones, he jotted a few notes down and turned the music back on. 

_ I hate to break it to you babe, but I'm not drowning _

_ There's no one here to save _

He wished there was enough time to commission a cover of this song with more metal guitar riffs and harsher vocals, maybe a club remix, but there wasn’t time for that. At least Lilia might appreciate the… lack of screaming in his choice. Her disdainful sniffs and scornful eyebrow spoke volumes. But it’s not like he wanted to dance to her instrumental choice anyway. 

_ And who cares if you disagree? _

_ You are not me _

Yuri caught sight of Lilia’s lime green eyes and angular figure in his peripheral vision as he turned, but he finished the transition and twizzles that he felt fit that part of the song. He took a deep breath and went over to pause the song. 

Deep breath. He faced her, posture perfect, and refused to break eye contact. 

“This song is to be an exhibition?”

“It certainly won’t work as a short or free program.”

“Insolent child. At least it is less abrasive than your previous choice.”

Yuri smirked to her face. There would be no use hiding it with all of the mirrors in the room.

“Begin again at that step sequence. If you have something to say, at least say it with grace and precision.”

_ Who died and made you king of anything? _

_ Let me hold your crown, babe _

***

Otabek and Medina had turned part of his bedroom into a blanket fort so they could watch the European Championships together. His bed would still have been more comfortable to lounge in, but Medina had insisted and now they were huddled up together inside a very cozy little fabric cave with his laptop propped up on some stacked cushions. He felt more relaxed with each of them having a thermos of hot chocolate since they weren’t on the bed. 

His mattress still would have been more comfortable.

After almost a week, the blanket fort was looking a little ragged, with the tented blankets knocked askew and the white fairy lights on the floor instead of elegantly draped around the entrance. One corner refused to stay attached to the dresser, but since it was only pinched in place by the shut drawer it inevitably fell down every time Otabek needed to pull out underwear. The sheets underneath them had twisted and folded over time, creating hard little ridges that dug into his legs and butt. But only the exhibition skates remained. 

Yuri had redeemed himself after only getting silver at his Russian Nationals. Victor had an excuse for his “shitty bronze” because he’d been, as Yuri put it, “mooning over Katsudon’s butt all year” but Yuri should have been coming off of a high after gold at the GPF. Instead he had been in that  _ funk _ that had only been cured by the prospect of having sex with Otabek. He still struggled to comprehend it, but they had consistently avoided the topic during their video chats. They were officially boyfriends, though. At least.

Beside him, Medina oohed and aahed at Chris’s silver medal exhibition skate. She had liked Victor’s skate, but Otabek refused to admit that he was  _ slightly _ bothered over how much she seemed to like Chris’s ode to Beyoncé. It was a remixed medley that gave Chris every opportunity to shake, pose, and show off his butt in yet another skintight leotard. With more mesh. 

Otabek looked down at his phone, shielding the light with his hand so it wouldn’t distract his sister. Yuri hadn’t said anything since early this afternoon, or morning in Ostrava, after the practice session for the exhibition. Just a flurry of YouTube clips and gifs showing cats retching hair balls during Chris’s and Victor’s practice slots, exasperation at Victor and Georgi commiserating over their significant others being left behind in St. Petersburg accompanied by pictures of wet dogs, and Yuri’s unique blend of snarky pride when Mila strutted her stuff during her exhibition practice. He sent off a quick “Davai” accompanied by three gifs of cats looking smug. 

Finally! Yuri’s exhibition skate! He ignored the way Medina elbowed him in the ribs as he leaned forward. It’s not like he was trying to hide how fascinated he was by Yuri’s movements and skating. He couldn’t get enough. 

The announcer listed off the name of the song and artist as Yuri glided around the ice in a quick lap before settling into place in the middle. Beside him, Medina searched for the song’s lyrics online so she could read them later. He elbowed her back as the music started and his boyfriend—he only had to think that word to start blushing—burst into motion.

_ So many things I'd say if only I were able _

_ But I just keep quiet and count the cars that pass by _

_ You've got opinions, man _

_ We're all entitled to 'em, but I never asked _

The music was peppy and upbeat with a single female vocalist; Otabek hadn’t thought that Yuri was at all interested in this genre so he would have to ask him about that later. He could already feel how the patterns of the chorus and a few of the verses were begging to be overlaid with a heavier percussion and a scratchier rhythm. He felt that way about most of the singer/songwriter style songs that emphasized the vocalist almost to the exclusion of the accompanying instruments. 

_ And who cares if you disagree? _

_ You are not me _

_ Who made you king of anything? _

_ So you dare tell me who to be? _

_ Who died and made you king of anything? _

Ohhhhh! Yuuri just landed a second combination jump that punctuated the word “king” each time just so perfectly! That was the chorus, so Otabek waited to see if he would do it again.

_ All my life I've tried to make everybody happy _

_ While I just hurt and hide _

Something about the lyrics troubled him, though. Yuri obviously felt that  _ someone _ or many someones had been dictating his life without him being able to respond. Otabek knew that his boyfriend—he tried to suppress the wide smile that grew with that thought—wore his heart on his sleeve and rarely hesitated to lash out at the slightest provocation. Yuri’s grandfather and Madame Baranovskaya were the only people to  _ his  _ knowledge who Yuri moderated his reactions around. Not that his reactions could ever be considered mild or quiet even then. Was Yuri holding back with  _ him?  _ Did Otabek ever make him feel like he had to hide part of himself in order to make  _ Otabek _ happy? 

_ Who made you king of anything? _

_ So you dare tell me who to be? _

_ Who died and made you king of anything? _

The final jump combination was a quad sal-triple toe with the final repetition of “king of anything” just because he could, Otabek guessed. Beautiful. He pulled his phone up and shot off a few thoughts. Yuri was beaming as he relaxed his finishing pose and that impudent grin filled Otabek’s cheeks and heart with warmth. 

“So what did you think about  _ that _ , Beka?”

“Wonderful. Truly.”

“I agree. I really like that song, too.”

“I think it would work really well in a club mix.”

“Ha ha you would.”

The siblings watched the stream a little bit longer even though nothing remaining on the screen particularly interested them.

“Is that all you thought about your boyfriend’s skate, Beks?”

Otabek rolled his eyes. She had started to pull that nickname out every single time she wanted to provoke him into giving her a more honest opinion than his customary, more reserved one. 

“Who was that skate for? Since when does Yura hide when he’s hurt?”

“That was just one of the lines from the song, Beka.”

“The same… sentiment was repeated a few times.”

“Everyone hides a little when they’re hurt. It’s human nature.”

“I didn’t think he did that with me, though.”

“Is that what you’re pouting about?”

“I am  _ not _ pouting.”

Otabek shoved her a little, just hard enough for Medina to rock on her blanket throne and to have some momentum to shove him back with.

“You are  _ definitely _ pouting.”

“Hmph.”

“Beka, this song is not about you. The other  _ sentiment _ that was repeated was about somebody talking over the singer and not listening. But in order to get someone to tell you to shut up, you need to be talking in the first place.”

“Hmm.”

“ _ Have _ you talked to him about what’s bothering you?”

His phone buzzed so Otabek pulled it out to see Yura’s face glowing in a selfie he had taken with Mila. He could not get over how much he adored that precious smile.

“Nope.” 

**Author's Note:**

> The Exhibition song is “King of Anything” by Sara Bareilles.
> 
> So what did you think? How intricate is Yuri’s plan going to be — or not be? Is Otabek ever going to speak up for himself?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
